teacher candidates perceptions of a course assignment ...development in order to support the...

Higher Education Studies; Vol. 8, No. 2; 2018

ISSN 1925-4741 E-ISSN 1925-475X

Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education

58

Teacher Candidates Perceptions of a Course Assignment Designed to

Support a Teacher Performance Assessment

Carmen Sherry Brown1

1Department of Curriculum and Teaching, Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY), USA

Correspondence: Carmen Sherry Brown, Department of Curriculum and Teaching, Hunter College, City

University of New York (CUNY), USA. E-mail: [email protected]

Received: February 3, 2018 Accepted: February 20, 2018 Online Published: April 10, 2018

doi:10.5539/hes.v8n2p58 URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v8n2p58

Abstract

To guide and support teacher candidates in developing the knowledge and skills they need in the classroom,

teacher preparation programs must prepare students in acquiring the experience and expertise needed to

demonstrate mastery of general knowledge in the specific subject or content area. In addition, teacher preparation

programs must support candidates in maintaining knowledge of professional preparation and education

competence that will guide student development. Therefore, faculty in teacher preparation programs are critical in

supporting pre-service teachers in acquiring and developing the knowledge and skills in order to be effective and

efficient in the classroom and to meet licensure requirements. To support the alignment of early childhood

coursework in a teacher preparation program with a Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA), the purpose of this

study was to determine the efficacy of a redesigned course assignment that was intended to support the edTPA. The

findings indicated that there are opportunities for candidates to develop their practice through course assignments

that are aligned with the language and expectations of the edTPA.

Keywords: pre-service teachers, teacher preparation, teacher licensure

1. Introduction

According to the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE, 2012), two components are

critically important in teacher preparation: teacher knowledge of the subject to be taught and knowledge and skill

in how to teach that subject (p.4). With the requirements and accountability of becoming certified to teach in

New York State (NYS) becoming more rigorous and demanding, there is a renewed effort to better prepare

teacher candidates and aligning coursework to support them in meeting these requirements. While teacher

candidates are expected to demonstrate a meaningful level of content and pedagogical knowledge through

coursework and teacher certification exams, they are also expected to submit and pass a portfolio-based teacher

performance assessment (edTPA) before earning initial teacher certification in NYS.

Even though the teacher certification exams have been in place in various formats prior to 2014, the edTPA is a

new requirement in NYS beginning in May 2014. The edTPA consists of 3 tasks (planning, teaching, and

assessment) that teacher candidates must complete to measure their readiness to teach. Each task consists of

evidence of teacher candidates’ work in that area as well as a series of questions guiding student teachers to

reflect on their practice.

To guide and support teacher candidates in developing the knowledge and skills they need in the classroom,

teacher preparation programs must prepare students in acquiring the experience and expertise needed to

demonstrate mastery of general knowledge in the specific subject or content area. In addition, teacher

preparation programs must support candidates in maintaining knowledge of professional preparation and

education competence that will guide student development. Therefore, faculty in teacher preparation programs

are critical in supporting pre-service teachers in acquiring and developing the knowledge, skills and values in

order to be effective and efficient in the classroom.

2. Perspectives

2.1 High Quality Teacher Preparation

Research is clear that effective early childhood teaching is highly skilled work that requires specific knowledge,

skills and mastery of a body of practical techniques (Ryan & Gibson, 2016; Whitebook, 2014). However, studies

http://hes.ccsenet.org Higher Education Studies Vol. 8, No. 2; 2018

59

have found that the majority of professionals who make up the current early childhood workforce are not

adequately prepared (Demma & LeMoine, 2010; Herzenberg, Price & Bradley, 2005; Rhodes & Huston, 2012).

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) states that “all early childhood

professionals should have a broad knowledge of development and learning across the birth-through-age-8 range;

should be familiar with appropriate curriculum and assessment approaches across that age span; and should have

in-depth knowledge and skills in at least two of the three periods: infants/toddlers, preschool/ prekindergarten,

and early primary grades” (NAEYC, 2009, p. 4).

High quality early childhood teacher preparation and pre-service professional development support teacher

candidates in developing specialized knowledge, skills, and practices that support the educational achievement of

young children (NAEYC, 2011). What early childhood teachers know and are able to do is one of the major

influences on the learning and development of young children. Early childhood teachers need a wide range of

skills, knowledge and experience to support and guide young children in achieving high outcomes. Within

teacher preparation programs, methods courses designed to influence practice have been shown to be effective

(Osisioma & Moscovici, 2008). In order to prepare teacher candidates to work with children from birth to age 8,

coursework in early childhood teacher preparation programs must provide them with the knowledge of the early

learning process, child development, and academic content while supporting them in submitting and passing the

required exams to become certified to teach.

2.2 edTPA-Early Childhood

The purpose of the edTPA-Early Childhood is to measure teacher candidates’ readiness to teach young children,

ages 3–8. The assessment is designed with a focus on children’s learning and principles from research and theory.

It is based on findings that successful teachers:

1. Develop knowledge of subject matter, content standards, and subject-specific pedagogy.

2. Develop and apply knowledge of varied children’s needs.

3. Consider research and theory about how children learn reflect on and analyze evidence of the effects of

instruction on children’s learning (SCALE, 2015, p.1).

The edTPA-Early Childhood assessment is comprised of three tasks: Task 1: Planning for instruction and

assessment; Task 2: Instructing and engaging children in learning and, Task 3: Assessing children’s learning. The three edTPA tasks represent a cycle of effective teaching: Task 1 documents the teacher candidates’ intended

teaching; Task 2 documents the enacted teaching; and Task 3 documents the impact of the teaching on student

learning (SCALE, 2015). The edTPA is designed to engage teacher candidates in demonstrating their

understanding of teaching and children’s learning in authentic ways (SCALE, 2015, p.1).

3. Purpose of the Study

To support the alignment of early childhood coursework in a teacher preparation program with the edTPA, the

purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a redesigned course assignment that was intended to

support the teacher performance assessment. The objectives of the study were to analyze teacher candidates’

perceptions of the assignment with regards to supporting the demands and expectations of the edTPA. In addition,

this study also sought to determine the strengths of the assignment and identify areas that needed further

development in order to support the specific requirements of the edTPA. To determine the efficacy of the course

assignment the following research questions was posited:

1. How did the early childhood teacher candidates perceive the efficacy of the assignment in preparing them

for the edTPA tasks and components?

2. What were the strengths of the assignment as perceived by the teacher candidates?

3. What areas needed further development as perceived by the teacher candidates?

4. Assignment and Courses

In the spring 2014 semester, a video analysis and reflection assignment was created within 2 method courses in

an early childhood program that led to a Master of Science degree. The new requirement was embedded into an

existing assignment within a language and literacy and early mathematics course. The assignment was designed

to support teacher candidates in aligning, modeling, and employing pedagogical approaches that bridge theory

and practice, guides assessment of young children and prompt teacher candidates’ reflection. The existing

assignment required the teacher candidates to plan developmentally appropriate activities and document the

developmental progression of a case study over the course of a 15-week semester. The new assignment required

the teacher candidates to video record one of their activities, assess the effectiveness of their teaching and reflect

upon their instructional support. The teacher candidates were given guidelines and prompts to support their

analysis.


60

4.1 Early Language and Literacy

This course examines the process of early literacy development from birth through kindergarten. Research and

practice in language learning and the development of early literacy skills among diverse learners are also

explored. Teacher candidates supplement their readings and study with actual observations and reporting of

children’s language and literacy behaviors, collaborate to assess and develop supportive classroom environments

and create theme-based literacy plans. The final assignment for the course, Oral and Written Language

Development Case Study, requires students to choose one child (3 months-5 years), obtain relevant background

information, collect reading, writing, and language samples from the child over a 3-month period and create a

portfolio of observations, assessments, work and language samples. Based on the analysis of the portfolio items,

teacher candidates describe 4-6 activities that will support the child’s continued oral and written language

development.

4.2 Early Childhood Mathematics

This course examines the educational and psychological research and theories concerning the development of

children’s (birth-Grade 2) mathematical thinking. It considers applications of this knowledge to teaching and

assessment in the early childhood classroom. Teacher candidates are engaged in developing and implementing

appropriate activities and materials that promote children’s mathematical understanding as well as assessing

children’s mathematical learning. For the final assignment, Math Implementation and Impact Project, teacher

candidates develop and implement appropriate math activities for young children. To support teacher candidates

in understanding how and what children learn from the activities, they assess children’s learning through

observations and clinical interviews. They are also required to provide an evaluation of children’s learning and

understanding of mathematics based on their observations of children during and after the implemented activities

as well as using their clinical interview and anecdotal recordings. The goal of this assignment is to provide

teacher candidates with an opportunity to use their individual creativity to develop math activities as well as to

draw upon and synthesize much of what they learned in the course.

5. Methods

5.1 Participants

The participants were teacher candidates who attended a public college located in a large urban area. Teacher

candidates who took one or both of the redesigned method courses in the Fall (2014) and Spring (2015)

semesters and had submitted their edTPA portfolios were recruited to participate in this study. Students who had

taken one or both of the redesigned courses in the Fall (2015) semester and were preparing their edTPA

portfolios for submission were also recruited to participate in the study. A total of 18 early childhood teacher

candidates participated in this study.

5.2 Questionnaire

To determine teacher candidates perceptions of the assignment with regards to supporting the demands and

expectations of the edTPA and to identify the strengths and areas that need further development in supporting

specific aspects of the tasks in the teacher performance assessment, a questionnaire was developed (Appendix A).

The questionnaire was designed to ascertain teacher candidate's familiarity, preparation and support as well as an

overall measure of the attitudes and opinions of the teacher candidates with regards to the expectations of the

edTPA. To increase the likelihood that responses reflected genuinely held opinions, the questionnaires were

anonymous.

5.3 Focus Group

In order to gain more insight about the teacher candidates’ perceptions regarding the assignment as well as draw

upon their experiences and reactions, data was collected through a semi-structured group interview that was

audio recorded. The interview participants were asked a series of thematic, predetermined questions regarding

the efficacy of the course assignment. The predetermined questions provided more focus than the conversational

approach, but still allowed a degree of freedom and adaptability in acquiring authentic information from the

participants. Ten early childhood teacher candidates participated in two focus groups.

5.4 Phone Interview

The remaining 8 teacher candidates, who were unavailable for the focus group, participated in a one-on-one

phone interview. To ensure that the same general areas of information were collected as the focus group

interviews, the phone interview participants were asked the same series of thematic questions regarding the

efficacy of the course assignment.


61

5.5 Data Analysis

In order to describe and quantify the specific areas of inquiry related to the efficacy of the course assignment and

to provide a systematic and objective means to make valid inferences from the data, content analysis was used to

analyze the focus group and phone interviews. The goal of content analysis is to provide knowledge and

understanding of the phenomenon under study. Hsieh and Shannon (2005) define qualitative content analysis as

a “research method for the subjective interpretation of the content of text data through the systematic

classification process of coding and identifying themes or patterns” (p.1278).

The audio recording of the interviews were transcribed and, using conventional content analysis, the coding

categories were derived directly from the text data. Coding also allowed for synthesizing and summarizing the

data and aligning it with the questionnaire responses. The questionnaire items were analyzed to identify specific

elements of the assignment that were practical in supporting the demands of the edTPA. Each section of the

questionnaire, expectations, familiarity, and preparation, was analyzed in alignment with the edTPA tasks and

components to determine the identified areas that the teacher candidates reported as supporting them with the

edTPA. To differentiate between the two courses and to optimize the information obtained from the questionnaire,

the answers for the specific courses were analyzed separately. In addition, where applicable, the elements that

teacher candidates indicated were not helpful in preparing them for the edTPA were explored. Table 1 denotes a

sample coding aligned with the edTPA and questionnaire.

Table 1. Sample coding

edTPA Task 1: Planning for Instruction and Assessment

100% of the teacher candidates indicated that the courses provided support for the planning components of Task

1

“The courses and the assignment taught me that teachers are responsible for promoting each child’s development

by planning lessons and activities that are developmentally appropriate and based on the need of each student. I

knew this was important for the edTPA and was prepared to write lesson plans that were meaningful for the

children in my class”

“The class has shown me how to plan with an objective, which is not only about what I am going to accomplish,

but also, how I am targeting children with different learning abilities and needs. In the past I really focused on

my own successful execution of my lesson plan. Now I have learned that the focus must be on how well and how

much the students have learned as a result of the lesson plan.”

“With the class and the assignment I was truly able to prepare my lessons and research the theories and activities

that will complement them.”

“I was grateful for the structure of the lesson plan outline. Because I was familiar with it, I was able to focus on

my objectives. It met the requirements of the edTPA. I did not have to look for one because the program

provided us with one.”

6. Findings

The findings indicated that there are opportunities for candidates to develop their practice through course

assignments that are aligned with the language and expectations of the edTPA. One hundred percent of the

teacher candidates indicated that they were somewhat or very familiar with the requirements of the edTPA tasks

and that the video analysis and reflection assignment provided them with maximum or some support in

preparation for the teacher performance assessment. Twenty five percent of the teacher candidates indicated that

the assignment in the language and literacy course offered no support for some of the edTPA components such as

reflection and documentation while 17% stated that the mathematics course assignment provided no support for

edTPA requirements such as collecting artifacts. While the teacher candidates confirmed that the assignments in

both courses prepared them for the demands and expectations of the edTPA during the focus group and phone

interviews, they made suggestions on how the assignments could be further developed to support future teacher

candidates preparing for teacher performance assessments.

During analysis, the following themes emerged: Planning, oral language and vocabulary, and assessments. The

following section discusses the themes and their alignment to the edTPA tasks.

7. Themes

7.1 Planning

EdTPA Task 1: Planning and assessment required the early childhood teacher candidates to develop 3–5

consecutive learning experiences that build on each other and are to be implemented over the course of one week


62

(Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE), 2015). In early education settings, learning

experiences provide young children with the skills and learning opportunities that are designed to support them

in their development (NAEYC, 2009). Teacher candidates stated that the lesson plan template that was used for

the assignment was beneficial and useful for planning learning experiences that aligned with the requirements of

the teacher performance assessment. A teacher candidate said, “I want to mention that the preparation for the

edTPA learning segments using the template helped me to think of the overall picture of instruction, assessment,

follow up extension activities and differentiated instruction, among others. As I was using the template, areas

that I didn’t take into consideration came to clarity and along the process of planning the learning segment I was

able to address them in a better way.” Another teacher candidate stated, “I was grateful for the structure of the

lesson plan outline. Because I was familiar with it, I was able to focus on my objectives...It met the requirements

of the edTPA. I did not have to look for one because the program provided us with one.”

7.2 Oral Language and Vocabulary

EdTPA Task 1: Planning and Assessment requires teacher candidates to state the central focus for their learning

segment that will allow them to address children’s language and literacy as well as identify the vocabulary

children need to know and use to engage in the learning (SCALE, 2015). Oral language refers to all aspects of

spoken language, including children’s growing vocabularies of new and varied words (Hoffman & Cassano,

2013). Oral language is often associated with vocabulary as the main component. The process of acquiring and

using words in oral and written contexts is a life-long learning process that begins during the early years (Sinatra,

Zygouris-Coe, & Dasinger, 2011). Early vocabulary acquisition is critical because of the relationship between

vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension (Fitzgerald & Graves, 2005).

All of the teacher candidates indicated that they were very or somewhat familiar with the language and

vocabulary development edTPA evaluation criteria. They also stated that the math course video analysis and

reflection assignment provided maximum or some support for this edTPA requirement while some of the teacher

candidates stated that the language and literacy course provided no support for this requirement.

During analysis, there was a misalignment between the answers indicated on the questionnaire and the responses

provided during the focus group and telephone interviews in how the video analysis and reflection assignment

supported the language and vocabulary edTPA requirement. Throughout both the focus group and phone

interviews, teacher candidates indicated that the language and literacy course assignment provided guidance with

regards to incorporating oral language and vocabulary during instructional activities. A teacher candidate said,

“The components of early [literacy] development and the 3 tiers of vocabulary guided me in purposefully putting

vocabulary in my lesson plans...I was really looking to support children and how they used the words when we

were working together.” There was no evidence during either the focus group or phone interviews that the

language and literacy course assignment offered no support for the edTPA language and vocabulary requirement

as some of the teacher candidates indicated on the questionnaire.

Even though all of the teacher candidates indicated that the video analysis and reflection assignment in the early

childhood math course supported them with the language development requirement in the edTPA, during both

the focus group and phone interviews they indicated that the course assignment could have put more emphasis

on vocabulary and language facilitation in order to meet the requirements defined in the edTPA. A teacher

candidate stated: “…the class could have put more intentionality and focus on the vocabulary needed to work

with children on math activities…how to engage children in using the vocabulary during lessons would have

been helpful.” Another teacher candidate stated: “...there was so much attention on [math] development and

appropriate activities...less attention on language and getting children to use language during activities.” This

indicated that the teacher candidates understood the importance of implementing developmentally appropriate

math activities, but felt the course did not support or guide them with language or vocabulary development.

During data analysis, I was unable to discern why the teacher candidates indicated that the math course video

analysis and reflection assignment support for the language development expectations defined in the edTPA in

the questionnaire, but did not corroborate this during the interviews. The teacher candidates consistently stated

that “math vocabulary” and “language development” could have been more emphasized as important for the

edTPA not only in this specific assignment, but also in all of the required assignments in the math course. A

teacher candidate said, “...labels in the environment help children with environmental print, but what about

making a math rich environment with numbers and manipulatives representing math problems throughout the

classroom.”

Teacher candidates appeared to recognize the importance and validity of incorporating vocabulary and language

development while implementing math activities. Many of them shared the viewpoint of Andrew Tyminski who


63

stated that, “Vocabulary terms should be introduced to students through active engagement in mathematics where

possible and that students should be allowed and encouraged to find ways to describe the phenomenon they are

interacting with in their own words.” (Dunston & Tyminski, 2013, p.39)

7.3 Assessment

Early childhood assessment is a process of gathering information about a child, reviewing the information, and

then using the information to plan educational activities that are at a level the child can understand and is able to

learn from (Snow & Van Hemel, 2008). The assessment is a tool used to gather and provide educators and

parents with critical information about a child’s development and growth. EdTPA Task 3: Assessing Children’s

Learning requires teacher candidates to analyze children’s learning and their use of key vocabulary as well as

identifying quantitative and qualitative patterns of learning. The edTPA-Early Childhood encourages teacher

candidates to discuss how they will analyze the evidence of children’s learning and vocabulary use, how they

will provide meaningful feedback to the children, and how they will use evidence of what children know and are

able to do to plan next steps in instruction (SCALE, 2015, p. 29). All of the teacher candidates indicated that they

were very or somewhat familiar with the assessment edTPA evaluation criteria and that the video analysis and

reflection assignment in both the language and literacy and math courses provided support for this edTPA

requirement.

Even though teacher candidates indicated that the assignment in both courses provided support for edTPA Task 3,

72% of the teacher candidates indicated that they needed maximum or some support during the completion of

their portfolios. During the focus group and telephone interviews, teacher candidates consistently stated that this

was the edTPA component that they needed the most guidance and practice with. A teacher candidate stated, “I

had a hard time identifying the evidence needed for the assessment. The [other] courses did not give us a lot of

practice looking at assessment or activities with the case study project. I could have used more guidance and

support with this.” This indicated that the teacher candidates appeared to be aware of the specific edTPA

component they needed additional support with.

Teacher candidates also indicated that the lesson plan template provided a guideline for developing activities, but

was not very clear on how to assess children even though there was an area for documenting assessment. The

lesson plan template has a designated area where teacher candidates document their method of assessing

children’s understanding of the lesson objective(s), the pre-assessment used to determine their prior knowledge

as well as the assessment of student learning and how they will assess language learning. A teacher candidate

stated, “...I would have benefitted from more discussion on assessing of student learning and language

development...and the main difference...this was confusing.” Teacher candidates clearly stated that more

examples and guidance for completing this area of the lesson plan template would have been beneficial while

completing edTPA Task 3, “...I felt frustrated because I did not know how to explain [assessment] in writing...I

knew the objectives and rationale of assessing...this is where I did poorly.”

8. Recommendations

In designing courses, assignments and clinical experiences that support teacher candidates, research-based

principles should be applied that are aligned with the cycle of effective teaching that is identified in the edTPA.

The cyclical relationship among planning, instruction, and assessment, with a focus on children’s learning needs,

should be emphasized throughout the course of study in an early childhood teacher preparation program. The

results of this inquiry led to the following recommendations for the early childhood program.

8.1 Recommendation #1: More Experience Writing Learning Segments

While all of the teacher candidates indicated that they were very or somewhat familiar with lesson planning, they

stated that they would have benefitted from writing more lesson plans during their course of study. During the

focus group interviews, there was a strong consensus amongst the teacher candidates that lesson planning,

writing learning segments and the use of the template should be incorporated more into other coursework in the

early childhood education program.

8.1.1 Implications

Creating an effective learning segment takes time, attention to detail and diligence. It must include an explicit

sequence that incorporates an understanding of children’s development. An effective learning segment addresses

and integrates objectives for student learning, teaching and instruction. It must also incorporate strategies to

assess student understanding and acquisition of knowledge and differentiated strategies to support children who

need additional guidance or extra challenges. Teacher candidates should have multiple opportunities during their

course of study and clinical experiences to create learning segments and use lesson plan templates. The lesson


64

plan template must be consistent across courses and should include the learning objectives, the resources needed

to support them, the instructional activities that guide the objectives and the assessment method used to

determine if the objectives are being met for learning and teaching.

8.2 Recommendation #2: Vocabulary in the Content Area

The content disciplines can be an abundant source for vocabulary development, but vocabulary instruction is

often isolated from content area learning (Fisher & Frey, 2014). Teacher candidates indicated that more support

and guidance for vocabulary and language instruction should be embedded into the early mathematics course to

support the demands of the edTPA.

8.2.1 Implications

Vocabulary learning is a continual process of encountering new words in meaningful and comprehensible

contexts (Harmon, Wood, Hedrick, & Gress, 2008). Vocabulary knowledge provides young learners with a

foundation they can apply and build upon in and out of the classroom. The content disciplines can be an

abundant source for vocabulary development, but vocabulary instruction is often isolated from content area

learning (Fisher & Frey, 2014). When creating lessons plans and learning segments, teachers should keep four

factors in mind when they consider strategies to teach vocabulary:

1. The students they are teaching.

2. The nature of the words they decide to teach.

3. Their instructional purposes in teaching each of those words.

4. The strategies they employ to teach the words (Flanigan & Greenwood, 2007).

When teacher candidates are observed during student teaching demonstrations, field supervisors should

document how the candidates model an attitude of enthusiasm and excitement that will encourage an interest in

words and language by their students. For reflective purposes, they should document how the teacher candidates

infuse vocabulary instruction and facilitate language development throughout the day.

As this inquiry analyzed an assignment embedded in an early childhood mathematics course, to support young

children in assimilating and using vocabulary knowledge essential to learning mathematics, the following

strategies are encouraged:

● Pre-teach mathematics vocabulary. ● Model vocabulary when teaching new concepts. ● Use appropriate labels clearly and consistently. ● Integrate vocabulary knowledge in assessments (Chard, n.d.).

In addition, to guide children whose need additional support with vocabulary development (e.g., ENL,

developmental delays), visual cues, graphic representations, gestures, and pictures should be used. Allow young

children the opportunity to work with manipulatives and objects in order to have exposure and experiences with

the associated vocabulary.

8.3 Recommendation #3: Assessments

Early childhood assessment is the process of observing, recording, and documenting the work children do and

how they do it (Koralek, Dodge, & Pizzolongo, 2008). Ongoing assessment is essential as it allows teachers and

caregivers to gather information about young children in order to plan instructional activities that meet their

individual needs. It also helps in identifying if and how children are making progress toward identified goals.

When used appropriately, assessments can support and guide student learning as well as enhance teaching.

Early childhood teacher preparation faculty should model appropriate uses of assessment to enhance learning by

demonstrating that assessments should bring about benefits for all children, should be age and linguistically

appropriate in both content and the method of data collection, and recognize that parents are a valuable source of

assessment information. When reviewing and reflecting upon an observed lesson, field supervisors should ensure

that teacher candidates understand the importance of incorporating how they will observe and collect data in

their lesson plans. Field supervisors and program faculty must also support teacher candidates in understanding

how to utilize the assessment data to inform curriculum decisions and set appropriate goals to support children’s

development.

8.3.1 Implications

Early childhood teacher preparation faculty should model appropriate uses of assessment to enhance learning by

demonstrating that assessments should bring about benefits for all children, should be age and linguistically

appropriate in both content and the method of data collection, and recognize that parents are a valuable source of


65

assessment information.

To complete the edTPA, teacher candidates apply what they have learned from their coursework in early

childhood preparation programs as well as field and student teaching experiences by documenting teaching and

assessment of learning during a learning segment and providing commentary explaining, analyzing, and

reflecting on their instruction, teaching and children’s learning. Early childhood professional preparation

programs should have a strong foundation in the areas of child development, curriculum, assessment, diversity,

inclusion, and family relations as recommended by NAEYC that support this premise.

9. Limitations

This inquiry was intentionally focused on improving identified courses and supporting teacher candidates in a

specific program with a teacher performance assessment and can not be generalized to other teacher preparation

programs. While much of the research on improving early childhood educators' skills and knowledge has

focused on in-service professional development rather than pre-service training (Zaslow, Tout, Halle, Whittaker

& Lavelle, 2010), this research can support higher education early childhood programs in improving pre-service

training program quality and aligning the content of courses, coursework and field experiences with the language

and expectation of teacher performance assessments.

10. Conclusion

The edTPA was designed as a comprehensive portfolio to depict teacher candidates’ readiness to teach as part of

the teacher licensure process. Teacher preparation programs must exercise extreme caution while preparing

teacher candidates for the practicalities of the field and licensure and not be inclined to teach to the test. This

inquiry evaluated the efficacy of a methods course assignment, which was embedded in an existing project, to

support the requirements of the edTPA. While the assignment was intended to support the expectations of the

edTPA, the overall course was intended to give teacher candidates in-depth knowledge and experience in

identified content.

Today’s teachers will have to educate all students, including those from increasingly diverse economic, racial,

linguistic, and academic backgrounds. Teacher preparation programs must provide teacher candidates with

multiple opportunities, throughout their coursework and various field experiences, to gain the critical knowledge,

skills and dispositions needed to teach all children. Although the analysis from this inquiry indicated that the

early childhood teacher candidates perceived the efficacy of the video analysis and reflection assignment in both

the mathematics and language and literacy courses as valuable in preparing them for the edTPA, there is little

research looking at the specific practices of early childhood preparation programs and teacher candidates

perception about their efficacy in preparing them for certification exams, teacher performance assessments and

preparation for authentic classroom experiences that include diverse students. While the suggestions the teacher

candidates made will support future early childhood teacher candidates as they prepare for certification,

subsequent research should further examine the relationship between specific program preparation practices and

outcomes such as the quality of classroom practices and student learning gains in diverse settings.

References

Chard, D. (n.d.). Vocabulary strategies for the mathematics classroom. Houghton Mifflin. Retrieved March 26,

2010 from: https://www.eduplace.com/state/pdf/author/chard_hmm05.pdf

Demma, R., & LeMoine, S. (2010). Building an early childhood professional development system. Issue Brief.

Washington, DC: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. Retrieved April 9, 2015 from:

https://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/1002EARLYCHILDPROFDEV.PDF

Dunston, P. J., & Tyminski, A. M. (2013). What’s the big deal about vocabulary? Mathematics Teaching in the

Middle School, 19(1), 38-45. https://doi.org/10.5951/mathteacmiddscho.19.1.0038

Fitzgerald, J., & Graves, M. F. (2005). Reading supports for all. Educational Leadership, 62 (4), 68-71. Retrieved

on January 20, 2015 from:

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec04/vol62/num04/Reading-Supports-for-All.aspx

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2014). Content area vocabulary learning. The Reading Teacher, 67(8), 594-599.

https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1258

Harmon, J. M., Wood, K. D., Hedrick, W. B., & Gress, M. (2008). Pick a word-not just any word: Using

vocabulary self-selection with expository texts. Middle School Journal, 40(1), 43-52.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00940771.2008.11461664

Herzenberg, S., Price, M., & Bradley, D. (2005). Losing ground in early childhood education: Declining workforce


66

qualifications in an expanding industry, 1979-2004: Summary. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute.

Retrieved March 25, 2015 from:

https://www.fcd-us.org/assets/2016/04/LosingGroundinEarlyChildhoodEducation.pdf

Hsieh, H. F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative health

research, 15(9), 1277-1288. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687

Hoffman, J. L., & Cassano, C. (2013). The beginning: Reading with babies and toddlers. In J. A. Schickedanz & M.

F. Collins (Eds.), So much more than ABC's: The early phases of reading and writing. Washington, DC:

National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Koralek, D. G., Trister Dodge, D., & Pizzolongo, P. (2008). Caring for Preschool Children, eCDA edition.

Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2009). NAEYC Standards for Early

Childhood Professional Preparation Programs. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved March 26, 2015 from:

https://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ProfPrepStandards09.pdf

NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth

through age 8. Position statement. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved March 26, 2015 from:

http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSDAP.pdf

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). 2012. What makes a teacher effective?

Retrieved March 26, 2015 from:

http://www.ncate.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=JFRrmWqa1jU%3d&tabid=361

Osisioma, I.U., & Moscovici, E.H. (2008). Profiling the beliefs of the forgotten teachers: An analysis of intern

teachers’ frameworks for urban science teaching. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 19, 285-311.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-008-9093-8

Rhodes, H., & Huston, A. (2012). Building the workforce our youngest children deserve. Social Policy Report,

26(1). Society for Research in Child Development. Retrieved on July 9, 2016 from:

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED531540.pdf

Ryan, S., & Gibson, M. (2016). Preservice early childhood teacher education. In L. J. Couse & S. L. Recchia (Eds.),

Handbook of Early Childhood Teacher Education (pp. 195-308). New York, NY: Routledge.

Snow, C. E., & Van Hemel, S. B. (2008). Early childhood assessment: Why, what, and how. Washington, DC:

National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12446.

Sinatra, R., Zygouris-Coe, V., & Dasinger, S. (2011). Preventing a vocabulary lag: What lessons are learned from

research. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 28(4), 333-357. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2012.702040

Whitebook, M. (2014) Building a skilled teacher workforce. Berkeley, CA: Center for the Study of Child Care

Employment, University of California, Berkeley. Retrieve on July 9, 2015 from:

https://earlysuccess.org/sites/default/files/website_files/Gates%20Fdn-Building%20a%20Skilled%20Teach

er%20Workforce_September%202014.pdf

Zaslow, M., Tout, K., Halle, T., Whittaker, J. V., & Lavelle, B. (2010). Toward the identification of features of

effective professional development for early childhood educators. Literature Review. Office of Planning,

Evaluation and Policy Development, US Department of Education. Retrieved on November 21, 2015 from:

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED527140.pdf

Appendix

Appendix A: Teacher candidate questionnaire

A. Experience

1. What year did you begin graduate coursework in early childhood education at Hunter College? _____

2. How long have you been teaching in your current grade level? _____

3. What grade level are you currently teaching? _____

4. Have you taught any other grade level(s)? ☐ yes ☐ no

If yes, what grade level(s)? _____

5. Do you currently have certification in an area other than early childhood? ☐ yes ☐ no

If yes, what area? _____

6. Have you taken any certification exams? ☐ yes ☐ no


67

If yes, which exams?

☐ Educating All Students Test (EAS)

☐ Academic Literacy Skills Test (ALST)

☐ Content Specialty Test (CST)

B. Expectations

How familiar are you with the following regarding the requirements of the EdTPA:

Not Familiar Somewhat Familiar Very Familiar

a. Planning ① ② ③

b. Instruction ① ② ③

c. Assessment ① ② ③

d. Reflection ① ② ③

e. Analyzing Teaching ① ② ③

f. Language Development ① ② ③

g. Video Submission ① ② ③

h. Artifacts Submission ① ② ③

Which area(s) do you feel you need support in regarding the following:

No Support Some Support Maximum Support







g. Video Submission ① ② ③

h. Artifacts and Documentation

i. Other:

① ② ③

C. Preparation

Which area(s) do you feel Hunter College early childhood education coursework supported your preparation for

the following:








g. Documentation ① ② ③

h. Collecting Artifacts

i. Other:

① ② ③

Which Hunter College early childhood course(s) have supported your preparation for the certification exams:


a. ECC 703 (Curriculum) ① ② ③

b. ECC 705 (Language and Literacy: B-Kindergarten) ① ② ③

c. ECC 706 (Language and Literacy: Kindergarten-2nd) ① ② ③

d. ECC 707 (Language and Literacy: ELL) ① ② ③

e. ECC 708 (Children with Special Needs: Birth-2nd) ① ② ③

f. ECC 710 (Early Childhood Mathematics: Birth-2nd) ① ② ③

g. ECC 711 (Science in Early Childhood: Birth-2nd) ① ② ③

h. ECC 713 (The Expressive Arts in Early Childhood)

i. Other:

① ② ③


68

Which course(s) supported you in the following areas (check all that apply):

Planning Instruction Assessment Reflection Analysis Language Development

ECC 703

ECC 705

ECC 706

ECC 707

ECC 708

ECC 710

ECC 711

ECC 713

Other:

Additional Comments:

Chart 1. Teacher Candidates' Perception of Support with edTPA

Chart 2. Teacher Candidates' Familiarity

http://www.ncate.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=JFRrmWqa1jU=&tabid=361





69

Chart 3. Language and Literacy Support for edTPA

Chart 4. Mathematics Support for edTPA

Copyrights

Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution

license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).





teacher candidates perceptions of a course assignment ...development in order to support the...

Documents